Written questions by Griffith.

Whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Employees must have at least 26 continuous weeks employment in the Civil Service up to any day in the ‘qualifying week’ to be eligible for paternity leave. The ‘qualifying week’ is the fifteenth week before the baby is due.As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.Some employees may qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service with the department because they have qualifying service with another Civil Service department.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

All staff working for the department and its arm’s length bodies are entitled to paternity leave, subject to qualifying service, which varies between organisations. Some staff could qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service with their department because they already have qualifying service with another Civil Service organisation, or because their organisation offers it on day 1. As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 10261 on Board of Trade, whether the review into the Board of Trade has concluded; and what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the (a) appointment and (b) future direction of the Board.

The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) is currently in the process of appointing new Board of Trade (BoT) advisors. The advisers will be announced when an agreement has been reached, and advisers have been formally appointed.The BoT will continue as a key trade promotion and trade advocacy vehicle for DBT in support of the Government's Trade Strategy, exports and growth agenda. The inaugural meeting of the BoT will take place following the appointment of new advisors.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20204 on Nissan, what his planned timetable is for publishing the updated transparency data on meetings.

The Department for Business and Trade follows the publication schedule set by No. 10

Who the advisers are to the Board of Trade.

The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) is currently in the process of appointing new Board of Trade (BoT) advisors. The advisers will be announced when an agreement has been reached, and advisers have been formally appointed.The BoT will continue as a key trade promotion and trade advocacy vehicle for DBT in support of the Government's Trade Strategy, exports and growth agenda. The inaugural meeting of the BoT will take place following the appointment of new advisors.

How many (a) males and (b) females have an infertility diagnosis.

This information is not collected centrally.

How many (a) male and (b) female patients who have received a diagnosis of infertility are waiting for fertility treatment.

This information is not collected centrally.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21472 on Industrial Strategy Council: Public Appointments, if he will provide details of the number of people that were considered for appointment to the Industrial Strategy Council.

Members of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were selected following the Cabinet Office Guidance on Direct Ministerial Appointments. As per this guidance, Ministers and departmental officials identified a wide range of potential candidates that fit the agreed criteria for the role, from a variety of backgrounds, representing business leaders, policy experts and trade union leaders.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the Fleet Solid Support Ship programme.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has maintained regular communication with the Secretary of State for Defence on the Fleet Solid Support Ship programme. Together, they have worked closely with commercial partners Navantia UK and Harland and W...

If he will publish the list of attendees of the Indian Business Leaders delegation meeting of 18 December 2024.

The delegation included Bharti Enterprises, Bharat Semi Systems, Biocon Group, Blue Star Limited, Essar Group, Hero Enterprise, Jet Synthesis, Piramal Group, Reliance Industries, Tata Steel, TVS Motor Company, TVS Supply Chain Solutions, and UPL Limited.

Whether he has visited Harland and Wolff in Belfast.

The Secretary of State has not yet had the opportunity to visit the Harland and Wolff Belfast site but looks forward to doing so in the future. However, as the Minister for Industry, I had the privilege of visiting Northern Ireland on 19th December to obs...

How many people were considered for appointment to the Industrial Strategy Council.

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes senior business leaders, poli...

Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, about the potential impact of the Devolution White Paper on support for small b

Ministers from the Department for Business and Trade regularly engage with colleagues from across Government, including from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, on support for small businesses. As committed to in the English Devolut...

What is the projected annual budget of the Fair Work Agency.

The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering our plan to Make Work Pay, supporting employers, workers, and unions to get Britain moving forward. Establishing the Fair Work Agency will create a strong, recognisable single brand so individual...

What meetings (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with President-Elect Trump's transition team on a potential UK-US trade deal.

The incoming US administration is still in the process of appointing senior staff.The Prime Minister had a warm introductory call with President-Elect Trump on 6 November. During this call, the Prime Minister offered his congratulations and said he looked...

When he plans to respond to Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 tabled by the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs on 6 December 2024.

Questions 18414, 18415 and 18416 were answered on 19 December 2024.

If he will outline the process for appointments to the Industrial Strategy Council.

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes senior business leaders, poli...

How many applications his Department received for the appointment to the Industrial Strategy Council; and how many and what proportion of those applications reached each stage of consideration for appo

Appointments to the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council were made through direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Council’s membership includes senior business leaders, poli...

What assessment he has made of potential efficiency savings (a) his Department and (b) in arms length bodies for which his Department is responsible.

At the announcement of Phase 2 of the 2025 Spending Review, departments have been set a target of identifying efficiency savings of 5% by 2029. Through the spending review process my department will be carrying out the required work to identify options fo...

What meetings officials in his Department have had with representatives from the European Union since 5 July; and for what purpose.

My officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the European Commission to discuss areas such as implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Competition Cooperation Agreement, and trade. Officials have also recently presented the Ind...